Hi
Just wondering where the best roman ruins are in Spain and how near they are to major cities etc
Thanks

The BEST evidence of the Romans in Spain can't be called a "ruin" at all--it's the aqueduct in Segovia! It's still standing, looking much like it probably did 2000 years ago.

If you go to see it, walk up the street that runs parallel to it, to the point where the arches are very close to the ground. You can compose a great "look at me holding up the aqueduct" picture there!

The other place to go would be Merida, where you can visit some more "ruined" ruins!

Another place would be Italica about 5kms or so from Sevilla. It is also the birthplace of two roman emperors. I believe it was Trajano and Hadriano if i'm not mistaken.

On the Costa Brava, not too far from Barcelona, Empuries is one of a cluster of first Greek (6th Century, B.C.) then Roman (3rd Century, B.C.) cities. Much archeological work has been done (and continues) in that area. It's an area where one could get lost for days (i.e., not just a casual thing). Baedeker's Costa Brava guide devotes 3 or 4 pages to that area. It's also a nice beach resort.

You'll also find ruins and a museum in Tarragona. It's worth a visit if you're in the area.

Another fabulous spot for Roman ruins is Merida; they've done extensive work at this site which includes an outdoor theater--it's very impressive.

Thanks everyone thats a great help!

You may find roman ruins (by the way also greek, phenician, cartago, arab and visigothic) almost everywhere in Spain.

Most of the names of historical cities come from the phenician/roman/greek/arab equivalents

Cartago Nova=Cartagena
Emerita Augusta=Mérida
Mirobriga=Ciudad Rodrigo
Gadir=Cadiz
etc

In the Madrid's sierra you may find a more or less well conserved roman calzada (via), which passes exactly between the borders of Madrid, Avila and Segovia.

These romans had curious hobbies...

Fernando

I will add that you may find a better conserved roman road at Puerto del Pico (Pico mountain pass) in the province of Avila. The road comes along the valley to the south of the pass, parallel to the modern road and climbs up to the pass, then it dissappear there. But it's quite well conserved. Anyway it deserves a brief stop only if you are around that area (going to Sierra de Gredos, for example).

Also, probably the nearest to Madrid roman ruins are those at Segobriga, about 150km by A3 highway to Valencia in the province of Cuenca. Rest of a theater and some other constructions, but seems that not everything has been discovered yet. The things of importance found there are conserved at the museum at Cuenca.

Despite there was an important roman town Complutum, nowadays Alcala de Henares, seems that there's nothing left to see there.

I agree that Merida shows the most important ruins in spain, also holds a famous museum about roman era.

The ruins at Tarragona, Cartegena and Sagunto were a bit dissapointing, are a set of disperse rest along the city. Tarragona seems that have a bit more to offer than the others.

Despite the roman past of many cities in spain, that doesn't mean that they have rest left to show. Zaragoza = Caesaragusta was important and there are a few stones showed under the Pilar square and nothing else. The same happens with Valencia (a few stones in a land-lot in the center).

From my opinion the best are:
1-Merida
2-Ampurias
3-Italica
4-Tarragona
5-Segobriga
6-Cartagena
7-Sagunto

In Alcala you can visit a Roman villa just outside town. ask at the tourist office, I think they run free a bus. I'll just add one more spot. It's the ruined city of Claudio Baelum, in Bolonia, just off the road from Tarifa to Cadiz. It's right on the beach too, which is handy, though windy as well.

If you are interested in Roman art in Spain, Merida+Italica are a must-see. The museum that was pointed in a posting above I guess it's the National Museum of Roman Art in Merida, which I believe it fully deserves a visit in its own.

V Diaz, funny you should mention Zaragoza (=Caesar Augusta); recently, and because they are restructuring the "main street" called 'Paseo de la Independencia', under the pavement and right in the middle of it, they discovered some important both Arab and Roman remains, so now they have this big problem because they have to decide what to do about it and, as soon as possible.

I wish I was going to Spain for longer, it's a real nightmare trying to decide what to leave for another trip!

As I'm going for only two weeks this is the rough itin I'm playing about with:
5 days Madrid
+ 1 day Segovia
+ 1 day Cuenca(Segobriga)
2 days Merida (inc travelling time)
2 days Seville
+ 1 day Italica
1 day travelling back to Madrid
Any comments gratefully recieved, I know you guys must get pretty tired of these.

A couple of questions:
V. Diaz you mentioned Ampurias as your second choice - whereabouts is it? are there any hotels/hostels there or would I have to stay nearby?

Is Italica a town or a site?

I guess I need a more detailed guidebook as these aren't in it!

One last point is that I don't drive so I need public transport, please say if I can't get to these places without a car.
Thanks,
Mark

Oh yeah, I'm going 25th May to around the 8th June if it makes any difference to the itin

Mark if you are going down south to Seville, why not stop off in Malaga, plenty of hostals and cheap hotels. Here you will find the excavated ruins of a roman amphitheatre right in the city as well as other very interesting sights such as the cathedral, the castillo de Gibralfaro and the casa Natal Picasso.
Enjoy your visit.

Roman monuments in spain
http://empresas.futurnet.es/pete/hispania.htm

About ampuries, hard to find info about the ruins:
See some info and 1 picture of Empuries/Ampurias
http://www.lescala.org/angles/historia.html

and more info at:
http://www.lescala.org
http://www.lescala-empuries.com/
http://www.costabrava.com

It's at Costa Brava in the province of Girona, very touristic area, so no problem with hotels. The ruins are out of the town of L'escala. Having a car will be very useful.

About your itinerary:
seems ok, Ampuries and Taragona are quite far from where you are. It's ok to get to Ampurias and Tarragona only if you plan to visit Barcelona.

About Merida:
http://www.verextremadura.com/
http://www.turismoextremadura.com/ingles/historico/ruta2.htm

About Segobriga, well don't expect fantastic ruins, are just ok, and can be seen in 30 minutes. No guided visits or anything, are the theater a couple of things more and nothing else, seems all the time that there's much more to be discovered yet. But it's ok for a daytrip to Cuenca but a car is needed to get there. It's at Saelices and you need to deviate a couple of km from the NIII road to Valencia. The ruins are indicated in this road.
May be you have to skip this place because you don't drive. You can use the extra day to make another daytrip from Madrid.

http://www.indicedepaginas.net/sego.html
http://empresas.futurnet.es/pete/segobr.htm

The rest of places have decent/good public transport communication.

Italica is a place close to Seville,
http://www.cica.es/~masa/tvs/monumentos/Italica/
http://www.andalucia.org

Just mention too
http://empresas.futurnet.es/pete/medulas.htm

the mines of Medulas, are quite far from your itinerary, but you may consider them for another trip.

Thanks, very helpful links and info. I guess I'll just have to visit Spain a second and third time!

Take a look at the webcam shot of Pamplona´s Plaza del Castillo. They began digging an underground parking garage and found (to no one´s surprise) lots of Roman (and pre-Roman) ruins, etc. www.diariodenavarra.es